Love is for Fools
by Sabakuu no Hana
Summary: Ryoma doesn't ever want to fall in love. Enter Hana, mysterious girl whom all the 3rd years know. How do they know her? What happened? RyoSaku! Read and Review?
1. Prologue

**Love is for Fools**

A/N: Hey everyone! Make sure to read and review! Ryoma needs to fall in love… doesn't he?

Disclaimer: Not anything here is mine besides the plot and writing. Otherwise, I DO NOT CLAIM ANY CREDIT

Notes: _Italics_ are thoughts, dreams, and flashbacks. **Bold **is for emphasis on words. Underlined words are notes.

* * *

**Prologue**

_The boy and the girl faced each other. The mysterious girl was sitting on a stool and trying to explain to him some things about love. The boy sighed in boredom, but he stay there, for who knows what reason, listening to her jabber on. The boy wished he had a can of Ponta, when one suddenly appeared in his hands. He pulled his cap down a little bit and drank some of the grape-flavored soda._

_He was no longer paying attention, just wishing he could be somewhere else, and upon finishing the Ponta, it disappeared like how he wanted to. The boy muttered something like, 'che, wish I could do that'._

_The girl suddenly realized the boy's attention had strayed and yelled a big 'OI!'. That woke him up, so she continued to talk about love, how she needed him to experience it, or else SHE'D die or something along those lines. Recently, the boy had found himself in this tiresome situation a lot._

_When he heard a snippet of what she had said a moment ago, he gathered his straying attention and stood up straight and faced her head on._

"_I will never, ever, ever fall in love," he told the girl. "So will you just freaking leave me alone?"_

"_Boy, don't be foolish. You have to fall in love sometime. I know if I wait, you'll never experience it, and the stars know I would be killed," a feminine voice said, exasperated. "All I need you to do is fall in love."_

_The boy sighed. Apparently, he hadn't heard his second sentence. "Yadda. _–no-_It'll ruin my chances of making __**him**__ cry," he replied cockily._

_It was the girl's turn to sigh. She rolled her eyes once, too. "You have to. OR ELSE!"_

"_Or else way? I'll beat you in tennis and I don't care about love!" retorted Ryoma. Then he saw he had struck a nerve and gave the girl an arrogant smirk._

_The girl closed her eyes. She wanted to smack that smirk off his face. Oh well, she'd show HIM she could beat him in tennis. First, though, she had to get her job done, but great stars. She had another stubborn one, so what was she going to do? At least he was paying attention now, but still…_

"_I guess we'll have to use the 'or else' option, ne? Well, whatever. I've nothing better to do, so I'll make you fall in love," she replied peacefully with a glint of amusement in her eyes. Walking over, the mysterious girl patted Ryoma on the head. She pulled his cap down all the way over his eyes. By the time Ryoma fixed his cap, she was gone, but her voice rang out._

"_Mada Mada Dane."_


	2. Chapter 1: Return of the Mysterious Girl

**Love is for Fools**

A/N: Hey everyone! Make sure to read and review! Ryoma needs to fall in love… doesn't he?

Disclaimer: Not anything here is mine besides the plot and writing. Otherwise, I DO NOT CLAIM ANY CREDIT

Notes:_Italics_ are thoughts, dreams, and flashbacks. **Bold **is for emphasis on words. Underlined words are notes.

**alishonae** - Don't worry my dear, no OCxRyoma in any of my fanfiction pieces. I don't like them either.

* * *

**Chapter One: Return of the Mysterious Girl!**

Ryoma suddenly was jerked awake by a hungry Karupin. He touched his face and realized there was a trace of blood there because Karupin had scratched him. His alarm clock had failed to wake him again, and he cursed, seeing as how he might be late if he didn't move. NOW. He jumped out of bed, throwing his sheets off, and shivered when the cold air hit his legs, but didn't stop. As he was trying to force on his shirt, Ryoma recalled the dream from last night. The cap-wearing boy decided that it was extremely abnormal, because A. he never had a relatively same dream /different conversations/ for two weeks straight and B. he had never dreamed about a girl talking to him about falling in love. That was particularly odd about it, but mostly, he had other things to think about, so he just got dressed and ran downstairs with Karupin trailing closely behind.

As he entered the kitchen, he smelt a Japanese-style breakfast and saw a smiling Nanako frying some eggs for him, as well. He quickly downed a bottle of milk and instead of eating the breakfast he was hungering for, nodded an apology at Nanako, grabbed a piece of toast, folded it, stuffed a newly fried egg in between, and ran towards the door. He sat down horridly and forced his shoes onto his feet, and tied them.

"So, boy, late again, hm?" his father mocked.

"Shut up, you could've woken me," he said as he grabbed his rackets, as well as a few other things and left, slamming the door purposely.

"So, you're finally here, eh, Echizen? How long were you going to make your senpai wait, ne? That's not a good habit. Not a good habit." Momo said impatiently.

"Momo-senpai, we're not going to make it, if you're in the mood to talk and not bike," Ryoma pointed out. /senpai is an older classmen/

"Hmph. Be grateful I wait, Echizen," Momo replied, beginning to pedal. "So why where you late today? You couldn't wake up or something?"

Momo didn't get any kind of answer, though. Ryoma was too deep in thought, which was rare, because he wasn't thinking about tennis. The older boy just felt offended, but when he sped up, the wind tore apart and possible conversation, so he gave up.

Ryoma was thinking about the dream. _What in the world could she have been talking about? She's going to come to me? What's that all about? Why is she so mysterious? God… I need more sleep. It's getting to me, after all, dreams don't come real. For now, I need to think about how to break Kaidoh's new Camouflage Snake. I guess I'll just have to hit it before it disappears..._

They arrived at Seigaku High School. Ryoma, too deep in thought to notice they had stopped, sat there. Momo, on the other hand, was seriously pissed that the golden-eyed boy would not freaking move, so he could lock his bike. After all, they only had 9 minutes left, and that would not do. Not do at all.

"OI! Echizen! Move it!" Momo yelled at his kouhai. /lower classmen/

"Aa..." the golden-eyed boy muttered. He was partially embarrassed that he had been caught off guard, so the cap-wearing boy moved. Quickly. He also pulled down his cap a little bit. Then, he turned around and yelled some thanks and took off towards his class room. On the way there, he greeted several people, dropped off his things, and got ready to live through the day. He suddenly remembered that that annoying Horio and his two friends would be there. The cap-wearing boy sighed, as he remembered that that Tomo girl or whatever her name was would be there. With Sakuno. Suddenly, he realized he was in front of his class, and entered it as stealthily as possible, wanting to just slide into his seat without notice. Ryoma, though, had no such luck.

Upon trying to get to his seat, Horio yelled, "Ah! There he is!"

And then, great ol' Tomo or whatever her name was, screamed, "Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka attempted to smother the golden-eyed boy with a huge glomp. Ryoma, foreseeing this, moved out of the way and she landed on big-mouthed Horio.

"Tomo-chan!" Sakuno exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Ah, get off me you WOMAN!" Horio said, blush faint.

"I never wanted to land on you, you butt-ugly, loud-mouth monkey!" Tomo replied, blush hidden behind her anger. "Eh? Ryoma-sama?" She looked around.

However, in the midst of the screaming, Ryoma had weaved his way through the rest of his classmates and got to his desk. Sighing, again, but this time with relief, Ryoma heard Katsuo and Kachiro's voice. _Great,_ he thought. _More of the trio._

"Ah! Ryoma-kun!" they said as they spotted him. Quickly weaving through the crowd, the two other Freshmen boys reached him. Ryoma would've said they looked worried or happy, but sad…

"Ryoma-kun, Ryoma-kun! We're getting a new coach because our old one fell down the stairs. They said some mysterious girl and Ryuuzaki-sensei were coming to coach!" Kachiro told him, voice happy, but trying not to show it.

"Really?" Ryoma asked, calm. Even though their old coach was an ex-professional, he had sucked… his name was something like, well whatever. The golden-eyed boy was merely happy that Ryuuzaki-sensei was coming back… but who was the other girl? _Well, it doesn't matter, after all, so long as we have a competent coach. God knows I could've beaten that crappy coach in less than five minutes._

The bell rang, the teacher came in, and class for that day had begun. He was so happy they would be holding practice after lunch. Ryoma needed to meet this new coach and see how good she was, and, although he would never admit it, he wanted to see Ryuzaki-sensei again…

* * *

_Sometime after lunch…_

"Oi Echizen!" a familiar voice yelled from behind him. Ryoma moved over a couple steps, just as a certain Dunk Smash senpai was about to give him a friendly hello, while keeping him in a head lock. "You're no fun anymore," he muttered when Ryoma had moved out of grasp. "Well, anyways! Have you met the new coach? I heard that it's a girl… She's supposed to be here now, so let's go meet her. I hope she's cute. Ah, Fuji-senpai! What are you doing here?"

"Nmaaa… I'm just headed to the tennis courts. Tezuka's already there, apparently, so I was looking for Inui and Kaidoh to walk with. I need to ask them some stuff, but I'll just walk with you guys, okay?" the genius threw on his famous **suggestive**smile. "Let's go…"

They walked the rest of the way in silence, each deep in their own thoughts. Momo was thinking about giant manjuus /pork buns/ and Shuusuke was thinking about his cacti and Ryoma was just thinking about tennis, like usual. He looked at the oh-so-familiar buildings around him. His oldest senpais would graduate soon, and that would stink. There'd be no Fuji to play with or Tezuka to play with. There'd be no Inui, Eiji, or even motherly Oishi… it was depressing, almost. Then they suddenly heard Tezuka's voice loud and clear, he was introducing the coach.

"Wait… the coach? Aren't there two of them?" Momo asked aloud. So, the three boys jogged over there to see what was happening. They were sucked into a cloud of people coming over to hug Ryuuzaki-sensei. They were crushed, smooshed, and sent tumbling every which way.

Shuusuke, being a genius, and having a deadly aura, was quickly let out. Ryoma threatened some… ugly things, so he got out second. Momo, being a kind, but powerful 2nd year, was let out third. Suddenly, Taka ran over with a racket in his hand, screaming BURNING and quickly clearing the crowd away from Ryuuzaki-sensei. Fuji calmly removed the racket from his hand and he turned around shyly to ask the bewildered sensei if she was okay. There was a discreet silence for neither uncomfortable nor awkward, just pleased. Then suddenly, everyone was there… except for the other coach. Suddenly remembering what he was going to ask, Momo came up to Ryuuzaki-sensei and asked, "Where's the other coach?"

Surprisingly, the old coach laughed aloud. "Oh, she'll be here. A ha ha ha ha ha! Don't worry about her, Tezuka. She'll make it, and Oishi, she's just late today because… she is," looking from Momo to Tezuka to Oishi. "It's okay! She'll be totally fine."

"Don't let your guard down, everyone! We'll have regulars on courts A and B, everyone else on C, D, E, and F!" Tezuka shouted. "Everyone, Inui has a new training drill. Without the juice, please, Inui. We'll be smashing into the basket to warm up! Aim precisely! Go!"

Without further ado, Ryoma and Shuusuke lined up to warm up. Then, it was Eiji and Oishi, after that, there was Momo and Kaidoh. They all smashed perfectly, while all the other freshmen were picking up balls. Lastly, there was Tezuka and Inui. Taka helped out and played when he could, but was no longer a regular.

Everyone was taller, Tezuka and Shuusuke the two tallest, with Inui and Oishi and Eiji following behind. Momo and Kaidoh were still arguing over who was taller, even though they were **pretty much**the same height. Ryoma was still the shortest, but that was because he was the youngest. Younger people are shorter… right?

Suddenly, as Tezuka and Inui were warming up, a voice came from behind Ryuuzaki-sensei. "Oi! Tezuka!"

All the third years froze. Right then and there. Tezuka and Inui missed the smash, Fuji opened his eyes all the way in shock, Eiji hid behind Oishi… All the oldest boys were in complete and total shock. Tezuka lost face composure, his face showed he was in partial shock too. Taka, who was helping hit lobs, froze, and just stared at the ground, dropping his racket. **Clatter**. It hit the ground, breaking the tense silence.

"No. Way," Oishi said aloud. "Our other coach… it's not her? Right?"

Tezuka regained his emotionless face. Shuusuke went back to his relaxed facial position and Eiji and Oishi laughed it off. It was impossible, it couldn't be her.

"Oh come on, guys! Don't be like that! I wasn't that bad, was I?" the mysterious voice said again, and out came a girl from the shadows.

"Who are you?" asked Ryoma, but then froze… He muttered, "You! You can't be, right?"

"Huh? You know her, Echizen? Who is she?" Momo asked.

Ryuuzaki-sensei sighed. "This is Hana, our other coach."

Hana's silver eyes glinted with amusement.

"Yo! Nice to see you again, everyone."


	3. Chapter 2: Hana Ai, Seigaku Coach

**Love is for Fools**

A/N: Hey everyone! Make sure to read and review! Ryoma needs to fall in love… doesn't he?

Disclaimer: Not anything here is mine besides the plot and writing. Otherwise, I DO NOT CLAIM ANY CREDIT

Notes:_Italics_ are thoughts, dreams, and flashbacks. **Bold **is for emphasis on words. Underlined words are notes.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Hana Ai, Seigaku Coach**

Recap:

Ryuuzaki-sensei sighed. "This is Hana, our other coach."

Hana's silver eyes glinted with amusement.

"Yo! Nice to see you again, everyone."

* * *

"Mou!/geez/ Can't you be a little more polite? Just because of the 'Ai'ccident a while ago, you guys don't have to be mad at me. I was just doing my job, this time it's for a different reason. Loosen up!" Hana exclaimed. "I am your coach again, after all. You're scaring the poor freshmen, exclusion of Ryoma. He's in shock with you!" She laughed. Hana walked over and hugged Shuusuke, shook hands with Oishi, high-fived Eiji, shook hands with Tezuka, nodded at Inui, and patted Taka on the back.

"Why did I only get a nod?" sulked Inui.

Hana walked over to the three confused kouhai of the third years. She shook hands with Kaidoh and high-fived Momo. Hana just stared at Ryoma, and then laughed her melodic laugh. She bent down to his level, as he had fallen in shock, and then murmured, "Didn't you say you could beat me in tennis? Try me." Hana pulled his cap down over his eyes and said his catchphrase, "Mada mada dane."

Quickly regaining his composure with a flushed face, Hana laughed quietly. She pulled her black hair, the fell past her shoulders by about 5 inches and put it in a pony tail. She shed her dark red jacket, which had HANA down one sleeve in bold white, onto the ground. She pulled out a silver-edge racket and asked everyone, but stared directly at Tezuka, "Anyone need to test my strength to make sure I'm a competent coach, unlike that bastard of a coach you had before?"

The third years murmured no and shook their heads. They all knew her monstrous strength of playing tennis, as well as her skill and grace. Well, they'd definitely win the Nationals this year…

"Tezuka, loosen up dammit. You're still as uptight as ever!" Hana exclaimed as she glomped him.

There was a silence, obviously an awkward one, as Tezuka was glomped by a girl. Tezuka was glomped by a girl, a coach nonetheless! Everybody just kind of stared, no one doing anything in particular. The third years stared at the green clay beneath them. Ryuuzaki-sensei just smiled and the other three regulars just looked somewhere. Anywhere. Just anywhere except the extremely uncomfortable Tezuka, being glomped by a girl older than him who wasn't a relative. Momo whistled in surprise and Inui just murmured, 'ii data'.

"Um, Hana-sensei, please let go of me," Tezuka said, tense.

"Nooo, that's wrong. It's Hana-chan, Hana-chan, Tezuka!" Hana mocked teasingly.

"Um, Hana-chan-sensei, please let go of me," Tezuka replied, calm but obviously forcing the words out of his mouth.

"Hai!/yes/ Shuusuke! Come over here a moment," Hana said, letting go of Tezuka, but beckoning Shuusuke.

The genius reluctantly came over, as the odd coach they had whispered something into his ear and everybody watched as Fuji's smile got wider and wider. Everyone saw trouble forthcoming because Fuji began to open his eyes, too and suddenly chuckled. Hana was smiling as she stopped and faced the others, but she beckoned for Fuji to complete the task assigned to him, shooing him off the court.

"Hai, hai, Hana-chan!" Shuusuke teased as he was dismissed.

Everybody else was much more relaxed now. Then suddenly realizing they were supposed to be practicing, they begun the routine again, with Hana, Taka, and Ryuuzaki-sensei hitting lobs, while the others smashed. Something told Ryoma the future was bleak, especially if a person from his **dream** came true.

_What have I woven myself into? So, should I have said yes and just left to fall in love? And what in the world was that 'Ai'ccident. Actually, on second thought, I'd really rather not know._ Ryoma sighed mentally. _Perhaps I can make it look like I'm falling in love._

Suddenly, the genius Shuusuke came back, with the rest of the Seigaku High School tennis club trailing behind him. Noting the mysterious girl on the court, lobbing, they realized it was the other coach. Everyone swarmed around the courts, when the regulars stopped warming up. Quietly talking with Ryuuzaki-sensei, the other coach let everyone in as they trickled in.

"Line up!" Tezuka yelled, voice cutting through the silence. "Now that everyone is officially here, I would like to introduce you to our second coach, Hana-sensei."

"Nice to meet you!" everyone shouted towards Hana.

"It's nice to meet you, too. Hello everyone, my name is Hana Ai and I will be one of your coaches."

Someone in the club snickered, as other tried to keep track of their facial expressions and others just looking confused. Shuusuke silenced them all with a glare, as Ryoma pulled his cap down and muttered, "Mada mada dane."

"Yes, my name is Hana Ai. /translated, hana means flower and ai means love/ Now, if you're good enough to insult me, let's see you play," she replied with no emotions. "Anyways, you can call me Hana-chan if you want to." Ryuuzaki-sensei whispered something in her ear and she sighed. "Fine, you have to call me Hana-chan-sensei, if anything other then Sensei. I like photography, playing tennis, and star watching. So, just make sure to practice a lot and we'll be on our way! Dismissed! Oh yeah, Regulars stay here."

The club scattered, as time had flown by. They had actually been there for a while now and some people had places to be. As the club member headed towards the locker rooms, covered in sweat, but happily talking, the regulars kept a heavy silence.

Hana knew the third years still suspected her and she couldn't have that. She wasn't here to mess around with Tezuka's love life or to play with the members. This time it was for real. She had a job and she had to get it done, or else the stars would come raining down on her. Hana needed to finish the job, as soon as possible, too. Even if she didn't have a time limit, she had other things to deal with. Her silver eyes became grey and cloudy as she was lost in thought for a little while.

Momo coughed and Eiji scuffed his foot against the ground, while Oishi cleared his throat. Snapping out of her reverie, she sighed again and said, "Let's go to Taka's sushi. My treat, okay? Ryoma, quit being all confused. I'm here, alive and living; it's your fault for being stubborn and don't try and play me. We'll work on tennis tomorrow, but for today, let's celebrate our little reunion, okay?" Hana asked softly.

The regulars wanted to go, but it would just be waaayy too tense for their liking. So, they said a little no here and there, heads shaking. Ryoma was in a difficult situation and he knew it, so he didn't say anything, just a 'che' and got done with it.

"Alright then, I'm off. See you later," Hana murmured as she gathered her things and left.

"Nyah, O-chibi? Did you know her?" Eiji wondered aloud. "Nyah…"

"Um, well…" Ryoma started, smirk on his face. "Jealous?"

The word echoed around for a few minutes and then everyone, except Tezuka, burst out laughing. The older boys were all thinking the same thing;_I hope we don't have another 'Ai'ccident._

Before they set off though, Oishi called them into a group. Ryoma was sulky because he wanted to go back home. The wind kind of blew as they settled down into a friendly silence. There were little hand motions made here and there as Oishi rubbed his temples. Tezuka might kill him, but the others had as much right to know about the '_Ai'ccident_as they had to learn. Everyone was sweating lightly and being chilled by the wind, when Oishi suddenly cleared his throat. All straying attentions were brought back to him, all solely focused.

"Tezuka, can I tell them?" Oishi asked timidly.

"You may as well. Everyone else knows," Tezuka replied with certain stiffness to his words. "They can't let their guards down, specifically Echizen's."

_Hm?_Wondered Ryoma. _What are they talking about?_

"Okay everyone, here's what happened about 4-5 years ago during what we call the 'Ai'ccident…" Oishi began, as Eiji fidgeted. "In our first year…"


	4. Chapter 3: The 'Ai'ccident

**Love is for Fools**

A/N: Hey everyone! Make sure to read and review! We're finally hearing what happened during the 'Ai'ccident!

Disclaimer: Not anything here is mine besides the plot and writing. Otherwise, I DO NOT CLAIM ANY CREDIT

Notes: _Italics_ are thoughts, dreams, and flashbacks. **Bold** is for emphasis on words. Underlined words are notes.

* * *

**Chapter Three: The 'Ai'ccident**

Recap:

"Okay everyone, here's what happened about 4-5 years ago during what we call the 'Ai'ccident…" Oishi began, as Eiji fidgeted. "In our first year…"

* * *

"Wait, Oishi, let's sit down first. This story… is rather long," Tezuka said stiffly. "Ahem. Let's sit, then, but still don't let down your guards!"

Everyone on the tennis team sat dutifully. Momo and Kaidoh were both extremely curious as to what had happened. Momo was about to start nagging when Kaidoh glared at him and muttered something like childlike behavior. The two rivals glared at each other for a while, until Oishi moved them apart. A light breeze blew while Ryoma, who was still standing, turned around and began to leave. The cap-wearing, Ponta-loving tennis player didn't need to hear a story, his idiot father was going to play him more or less seriously, and Ryoma did not want to miss that chance.

"Ryoma! Where are you going?" Oishi asked. "This is for your benefit!"

So, Ryoma was dragged back by Eiji and sat down a bit sulkily in the middle of Oishi and Eiji, leaving no escape route to go home. Sighing, but preparing himself for some long, dull story, he wondered why it was **so** important!

"May I begin the story? Okay, as I was saying, in our first year, we were much like we are now. Fuji was a prodigy, Eiji was as acrobatic as ever, and… well, you get the point. I'll get to the main part of the story now and skip the minor details. Basically, Tezuka had a dream and he was debating with some mysterious girl about falling in love or not, of course this would have been extremely awkward… and Tezuka said so. However, there was one catch. Later on, the girl in his dreams, as he said, became increasingly frustrated and finally threatened to come and finally threatened to come here," Oishi started the story.

"Um, sempai? /upper classman!/ Did she come here, then?" Momo asked, blurting it out because he was dying to know.

"Yes, I was getting to that part. As Momo guessed, she did indeed come here. She, the girl in his dreams, was named Hana Ai, one of the current coaches of Seigaku," Oishi explained.

"What?! That means she was here 4-5 years ago!? That's pretty much impossible!" Momo exclaimed.

"Um, Momo, I'll be continuing now. So thus, she came to our school and began coaching as a secondary coach on the Seigaku tennis team. She and our old coach got along very well and Hana-sensei began working towards her goal of making Tezuka, stiff and stubborn about not falling in love, to fall in love. She used to sigh constantly and say things like, 'stubborn tennis freaks these days…' or something along those lines. I remember Fuji and Hana-sensei got along rather well, didn't you?" Oishi asked.

"Yes, perhaps it was because we had a common goal in mind? She certainly appreciated my help… didn't she Tezuka?" Fuji teased slightly.

"Yes. She was constantly bombarding me with love letters from fans of mine and chocolates. Fuji, I remember helped her sneak things into my locker, books, and onto my desk," Tezuka replied rather stiffly. His pride had been rather damaged, after all.

"Ahh, yes, I remember now. She used to encourage all of your fangirls to send you things, hoping you would fall in love someday with… someone, at least," Fuji said, while laughing.

"Anyways, I'll be going on with the story now. So you see, Hana-sensei is an amazing tennis player and her skills of persuasion are top notch. Of course, Hana-sensei, err, Hana-buchou /coach/ , I guess now, worked relentlessly to just get Tezuka interested in someone. She watched him receive chocolates stiffly and oddly during Valentine's Day and return white day gifts, but they were only cards that said thank you for being my **friend**. Oh, Hana-buchou was so angry at him, she took him off the courts and towards the sides where no one could hear them and started almost yelling at him. She was so convinced he was being so darn **stubborn** and she couldn't take it anymore. She pushed the girls farther, having one confess her love and then kiss him," Oishi murmured the last few words. "And then, she had a few of them ask him out and things like that. **Until**, Tezuka **finally** relented… in a way, I suppose."

"Tezuka-buchou fell in love?!" Momo exclaimed, while Kaidoh even looked shocked and Ryoma looked…well, like he'd seen a ghost.

There was a momentary silence. No one really knew what to say. Even the third-years, who were there when it happened, couldn't really get over the fact that **TEZUKA FELL IN LOVE** it was shocking for all of them. Especially the three kouhai /lower classmen/, the whole team was kind of staring off, looking shocked, or taking notes. /Inui!/ Then, Fuji took a sign to begin the story again, since Oishi was beginning to look haggard from talking so much.

"Yes, Tezuka fell in love," Fuji said mischievously, an evil glint in his eye. "In fact, he fell in love with someone we had never known, seen, or even met! He fell in love with a younger girl, named Fei. She was quite pretty, shy if she first met you, but a very good tennis player. What happened was, she was just playing at the courts one day when Tezuka came in and the ball was hurtling at his face… that was an accident, of course. Tezuka hit the ball away from him and it just became a rally one way or another. That's how Fei said it went, anyway. Tezuka and her began to play everyday, when one day Tezuka brought her to the Seigaku tennis team and had her meet the coach at that time and introduce us. She was a very interesting preson, being able, just slightly able, to rally with our coach at the time. Fei was another hidden tennis prodigy. However, at one time, someone pushed her down the stairs and she broke her arm and couldn't play tennis ever again for one reason or another. Tezuka, feeling heartbroken, went to the hospital for daily visits when he finally admitted, after that strange feeling of loss and sorrow, said that he loved her… or something like that. They went out for a while, but Fei had to move away. Tezuka, broken, became more like he is today, rarely smiling… or rather, smiling even less. Though Hana was finally satisfied, clapped him on the back and disappeared," Fuji told them all.

Momo whistled. "That's quite the story, Fuji-sempai."

"It's only how it's usually told, if ever spoken of," Fuji replied.

There was another silence. The three younger tennis players let this story sink into them and the older players rested silently. Tezuka was still expressionless as he heard the story, but twitched when Fuji had first metioned Fei. It was odd how a story could kind of connect them all and make them closer, but that was that.

"Now, I think we're all hungry! Want to come to our sushi place?" asked Taka timidly, breaking the silence. Fuji handed him a racket. "**BURNING!** I'm sure we're all starving! So come on, let's go to my sushi place! **AMAZING!**"

Just like that, they all went, each in their own thoughts, to Taka's sushi place. Hana, having hid in the shadows the whole time, remembered that sad love story rather fondly.

_Well, let's hope that doesn't happen again_, she quietly thought to herself. _Until then, I think I'll get to Taka's sushi place before they do. After all, I said it was my treat!_

And so, Hana ran off, racing towards Taka's sushi place.

* * *

A/N: Are my chapters too short? Is my story not interesting? Please review! I want your opinions. I'm so happy I finally got this chapter up. Do you have any things you want to see happen? TELL ME! Flames used to cook ramen and bake potatoes! Mmm!


	5. Chapter 4: Sushi & Dreams

**Love is for Fools**

A/N: Hey everyone! Make sure to read and review! This chapter is longer than the others and it also has a tad of Hana's mysterious past!

Disclaimer: Not anything here is mine besides the plot and writing. Otherwise, I DO NOT CLAIM ANY CREDIT

Notes: _Italics_ are thoughts, dreams, and flashbacks. **Bold** is for emphasis on words. Underlined words are notes.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Sushi & Dreams**

Recap:

_Well, let's hope that doesn't happen again_, she quietly thought to herself. _Until then, I think I'll get to Taka's sushi place before they do. After all, I said it was my treat!_

And so, Hana ran off, racing towards Taka's sushi place.

* * *

Sitting on a single stool in an empty place, Hana ordered some more sushi. It had been a while since she had eaten such tasty stuff… where she came from there were only a limited variety of foods. Hana hadn't had sushi since the last time with the 'Ai'ccident, but it didn't matter anymore since she was munching on it. The door slid open and a tired, thoughtful lot of familiar voices called in hello.

"Ah! Takashi! I'm in the back, but go ahead and bring your friends in, your coach says its her treat," called his father from the back room.

"Hai! Wait, what coach?" Taka asked, confused. Turning slightly, he saw Hana waving enthusiastically from her seat. "Um… Hana-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"Mou, I said it was Hana-chan-sensei at least! Or even Hana-chan! You kids are so stubborn," Hana laughed.

Just as the rest of the regulars /except Tezuka, Fuji, and Ryoma/ suddenly noticed the presence of their temporary coach. They all jumped back awkwardly, some stumbling and knocking into others, creating a mass domino effect. Hana laughed again, while Tezuka began reprimanding them and assigning laps for the next day's practice. Ryoma pulled down his cap and drank some of the Ponta he was holding as Fuji observed the scene with mild amusement. Of course, after some cursing and recovery, everyone sat down and proceeded to attempt to break the odd silence that had been created because of Hana's presence. She had managed to seat Ryoma and Fuji on one side of her and Tezuka on the other. The rest of the team followed the unwritten rule of being banished to the other tables on the floor. Sitting and sipping some tea quietly, Inui looked around at the tense people in the room. He began writing down reactions /data/ and wondered who would make the first move.

"Ah! Kawamura-san, is my sushi done yet?" Hana inquired, breaking the silence.

"Just a little longer, Hana-chan. I'm sorry," he called back. "Takashi! Did you take your friends' orders?"

"Oh, yeah! What do you want guys? I'll go help make it in the back," Taka said.

"Wasabi sushi!" Fuji called joyfully.

"Wah, Fujiko, how do you manage to eat that stuff?" Eiji asked him as the others placed their orders for sushi.

"What do you mean? The aftertaste of wasabi is **amazing**, wasabi sushi is even better!" Fuji replied, eyeing Eiji mischievously. "Would you like some?"

"Um… Oishi, what do you think I should get today?" Eiji turned to face his partner, sweating profusely. Eiji started making nervous gestures while attempting to ignore the growing aura behind him.

Fearing for his best friend's life, Oishi decided to speak up. "Fuji, please calm down. You know Eiji didn't mean any offense. I'm sure…"

"I'm sure we have an understanding now, right Fuji?" Tezuka interrupted sternly, having the need to say something because of the weirdness of him sitting next to Hana.

"Hai, Tezuka, whatever you say," Fuji half-smiled, half-smirked and turned around to face the counter.

_What a lively bunch they are now,_ Hana thought fondly. _A few years ago and Fuji would have not said anything and Tezuka would have just stared beyond, thinking of other more important things. I'm glad I get to see them again, now, though. It makes me impressed of how people can change in a few years…_

"Um, Hana-chan?" Kawamura /in this case, Taka's father/ asked, trying to get her attention. "Your sushi's done. **ORDER UP!**" The last part he yelled to the rest of the team and had Taka carry out the trays of sushi.

"Oh! Thanks," Hana replied eagerly. She began to eat some unagi /eel/ sushi as Hana inspected the unfolding scene around her.

There was laughter everyone, cheering, and generally having fun. Eiji had stolen a piece of sushi from Oishi, who had taken one of Fuji's wasabi sushi pieces by accident. The acrobatic player jumped from table to table looking for something to cool his flaming mouth. Momo and Kaidoh were glaring at each other because of Kaidoh mentioning how Momo was eating like a starving pig. Ryoma and Fuji had been pulled into the crowd of teammates on the ground, leaving Tezuka and Hana sitting alone at the counter. Fuji was laughing aloud because of Eiji and a joke Taka had told. Ryoma was being smothered by everyone as Inui sat to the side and took notes.

_Why am I banished to the side?_ Inui wondered to himself. _Oh well, ii data!_

Tezuka coughed politely as Hana turned to face him, taking her eyes off of the amusing scene. She stared into his deep, brown eyes, wondering what he was thinking all the time behind his stern face. There was another silence as they just looked at each other, not menacingly but not gently either. It was a balanced silence as many things were communicated, things like "sorry" and "it's okay". They were sent back and forth, the two seeming to have a whole mind conversation just by looking. Finally, when staring seemed useless, the two sitting there broke eye contact and stared down at their plate of sushi or cup of tea. Tezuka opened his mouth to speak.

"Hana-sensei, are you really-" Tezuka started, but was interrupted.

"I know what you want to ask. Am I **really** human?" Hana guessed bluntly, a bit depressed he had asked.

"Well, yes, because you appeared in my dreams and then Ryoma's. This cannot be a coincidence and science clearly states that dreams are only what the brain interprets and then mixes up." Tezuka replied. He was slightly startled, but only a flash of emotion passed in his eyes.

"Science?" Hana said degradingly. "**Science** is just something we use, like time. Time does not exist and yet we put our bodies and souls into believing in it. A pointless thing, science is."

"You're avoiding the question," Tezuka reminded.

"Oh yes, well, you'll find out in days to come. I know your other question, too. It's "if you aren't human, couldn't you have saved her?". Am I correct?" Hana asked.

"Yes," Tezuka simply stated. He wasn't used to being so accurately analyzed and the emotion in his eyes was more prominent.

"Well, no. Even if I **wasn't** human, I couldn't have helped her. If I was human, I **couldn't** have helped Fei either. It was all up to fate and Mother Ai. I guess she didn't like you or something, heaven knows," Hana said.

Although it wasn't silent in the restaurant, it was a long silence between Tezuka and Hana. It seemed neither wanted to speak, but both did at the same time. Silently, Tezuka looked at the clock, while Hana looked at her wristwatch. They both noticed that it was getting late and that everyone should return home. Taking one last glance at each other, they nodded almost imperceptibly. Turning around and standing up and clearing their throats simultaneously, Tezuka told them it was late and Hana wished them well.

Hana waited until all of them left, except Taka, and helped clean up. She washed dishes and help wrap things up for free. Then, paying the bill, she sent her thanks to Taka and Kawamura /yes, yes, Taka's father!/ and left. Hana walked slowly towards her apartment she had rented in the meantime. She had four rooms, a bathroom with a shower, a kitchen equipped with stoves and such, a small bedroom, and a family room/work room. She also had a small washer and dryer in the family/work room. Sitting down at her desk, Hana pulled out some files that she had to review. Exhausted as she was, Hana began looking at the stats of her new "chicklings" she had to teach tennis to. Planning out a coaching plan, she called Ryuuzaki-sensei in the middle to ask questions, even though she had been watching them.

Sighing, Hana remembered the serious look in Tezuka's eyes when he had asked if she wasn't human. Okay, so she wasn't completely human… but that shouldn't matter, it was **such** a trivial thing. Besides her only goal was to get **Ryoma**, not Tezuka, to fall in love with anyone, so long as it was a real love, and not some fake love he tried to blow her off with. If Hana failed like she had failed Tezuka, Mother Ai /yes, dears, her mother/ would not be happy with her. Tired, Hana decided to lay her head on her desk for a little. Her head pounded with aching thoughts, memories swarmed and mixed in her already full head. Hana fell asleep, hair lightly covering her face and long lashes.

* * *

_It was awfully dark where she was, Hana reached upwards where a small beacon of light shone through. Why was it dark? Why couldn't she speak? Why was it hard to move? Hana squirmed uncomfortably and was extremely irritated. Was this some technique to blind her for life? Was she going to be stuck there forever? In that dark, horrible place?_

"_Patience, young one, you'll soon be born," a gentle voice came from outside of where Hana lay._

_Hana was angrier now, but soothed by the gentle voice. She wanted out, and she wanted out now. Where was she anyways? Suddenly, the light began to widen, when Hana was swallowed up in the brightness. She felt something soft against her head. Looking up and finally opening her eyes, she saw a divine woman dressed in a nicely draped Greek dress. It was a beautiful color, a pure white with lighter shades of pink. Colors of innocence and love seemed to be portrayed by the wonderful woman. Sneaking a glance downwards, Hana noticed a flower that smelled lightly of two unimaginable things. Whatever it was, it smelled amazing, and Hana also noticed the flower was changing colors very slowly. It turned from blue to dark blue to purple and the color changes were slow, but it made it seem like it wasn't changing colors at all._

_It was so surreal and Hana reached up to touch the woman's face. Her soft white-blonde hair cascaded down her back gently, almost matching her beautiful pale white skin, which glowed delicately. Her eyes were a soft gold, filled with love and tinged with a tiny bit of sadness. It was a truly amazing person that loomed above her. The woman kissed Hana's forehead tenderly and stared into Hana's silver eyes. The woman brushed back a strand of hair of Hana's that had fallen out of place and tucked it behind Hana's ear again. Hana reached up carefully to touch the beautiful flower tucked in the woman's hair. All of this couldn't be real, could it? It seemed too overwhelming to actually be real. Hana sighed like a baby and then giggled. _

"_Ah, young child, you are the first to be born. You've have blossomed over the centuries by humans loving each other. In other words, you are the flower of their love, the fruit the tree bears after long days of winter. You, my child, are now a child of Love. You are so amazing that I will name you Hana Ai. Hana for flower and Ai for Love. A wonderful name, fitting you perfectly, do you not agree? I will care for you until one day you will work for me, yes? Help your foster mother a bit," the woman said softly, smiling as she spoke. "I will love you, special child, though a hard future lies in wait, I will cherish you. I am Mother Ai."_

"_Mother… Ai…" Hana's lips formed the words with difficulty. "I… am… Hana… Ai. Your… child?"_

"_Yes, little one, now sleep a bit longer, I will watch over you forever," Mother Ai murmured. "Sleep, dear one. Sleep, for now, I shall let you." Mother Ai began humming a lullaby to the quiet child, who at once, began to feel drowsy._

"_Mo…ther…" Hana mumbled as she fell asleep once more, entering a world of darkness. This time, though, there was a gentle light beside her, calming her. This was how Hana Ai had been born._

"_Blessing to you, young one."_

* * *

All of a sudden, Hana awoke from her odd dream. She shook her head, remembering that that was how she had met Mother Ai and how she was born. So what if she wasn't completely human, she was raised by one who was once human, so it didn't really matter. Hana ignored that thought and continued planning, finished, looked at the clock, and decided it was time to sleep. Falling asleep again, Hana slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

* * *

A/N: How was it? Review, please. This chapter was a lot longer than some of the other ones, so I want your opinions. Flames use to grill a steak. Yay!


End file.
